Cotton-feeder



(No Model.)

S. W. WOODBURY; COTTON FEEDER.

' No. 445,916. Patented Feb. 3, 18911.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN XV. XVOODBURY, OF VINCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

COTTON-FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,916, dated February 3, 1891.. Application filed November 22,1889. Serial No. 331,176. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN V. 00D- BURY, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vinchester, in the county of Cheshire and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Cotton- Feeders; and I do declare the following; to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,whieh form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to feeders for cotton,

wool, and other fibrous stock, and aims to provide a feeder that will deliver the desired amount of stock in a given time and ina uniform manner and to devise means for positively ejecting the stock from the hopper and preventing its packing therein.

' This machine is designed to be attached to what is commonly known among hat-manufacturers as forming and blowing machines and to what is known among woolen and cotton manufacturers as the first breaker or cotton-lapper.

The improvement consists of the novel features which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and which are shown in the annexed drawings, in which Figure l is a side view of afeeder embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the machine. Fig.3 is a top plan view of the ejecting device. Fig. t is a diagrammatieal View showing the operation of the feed-rollers, the doors or sides of the hopper, and the levers connecting the doors and the feed-rollers. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view showing the operation of the ejecting device.

The sides A of the frame are suitably connected by the cross-bars a, and between them are placed the feed-regulating devices consisting of the movable doors B and B and the rollers C and U. The doorsB and B incline in opposite directions and have arms I) and b at their ends, which extend through slots 12 b in the sides A. The journals (Z and d of the feed-rollers O and 0 project through slots (Z and d in the said sides A and have bearings in the lower ends of the levers D and D, which are crossed and mounted upon a common pivot a. The upper ends of the levers D and D are connected with the arms I) and b by the links E and E. By this construction and arrangement of the parts obviously as the feed-rollers separate the lower edges of the doors will be brought together, thereby reducing the amount of stock fed to the rollers, and again when the rollers apapproach nearer the prescribed distance the lower edges of the doors will separate, thereby permittin g more stock to be fed to the said rollers. The normal feeding-space between the rollers and between the lower edges of the doors is regulated by placing the arms Z) and b in holes in the links E and E at different distances from the points at which such links are connected to levers D D.

The door B is provided near its loweredge with a series of slots F, through which ejecting-fingers 7c are adapted to work for forcing the stock from the hopper-i. e., from between the doors B and B. The actuating-arms G are provided with slots g, and through these slots extend the rods 9 on which the actuating-arms are mounted. The levers H, having their-lower ends mounted on the eccentrics I on the shafte', are connected attheir upper ends with the actuating-arms G by the pivots These levers have slots 72., through which proj ects the rod J. As shaftt' revolves, the levers l-I receive a vertical motion anda tilting movement about the rod J and impart a corre sponding movement to the outer ends of the actuating-arms G, which ends travel in an elliptical path, and by reason of the actuating-arms G being mounted on the rod g the ejectingfingers 7e, which are connected with their front ends, are thrust through'the upper ends of the slots F and are carried downward in a curved path, and at the limit of the downstroke of the front ends of the arms the fingers 7e are withdrawn and are carried in a straight line to the place of beginning.

In practice it has been found necessary to provide only two actuating-arms Gand place them at opposite ends of the feeder-frame, the said arms being connected together near their front ends by the rod K, to which are secured the ejecting-fingers 70, which correspond in number with the number of slotsF intermediate the end slots in the said bottom B. These actuatingarms are extended at their front ends to form ejecting-fingers, which are similar to the ejecting-fingers 7c and which work through the said end slots E.

Having fully described my invention,what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a feeder, the combination, with the adjustable doors, of the feed rollers, and means, as the levers and links, for connecting the said doors and rollers to cause the doors to separate when the rollers approach, and vice versa. 7

2. The combination, with the doors and the feed-rollers, of the levers having fulcrums between their ends, which ends are connected with the rollers and with the said doors, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination, with the doors and rollers, of the levers pivoted between their ends and connected with the rollers, and links adj ustably connecting the levers with the doors, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with the doors and the feed-rollers, of the crossed levers pivotally supported at their point of intersection, the lower ends of the levers supporting the said rollers, and means, as the links, for adj ustably connecting the upper ends of the levers with the said doors, substantially as described.

5. The combination,in a feeder, of an ejecting-finger, an actuating-arm connected with the said finger, a lever connected with the outer end of the said actuating-arm and having an eccentric connection at its lower end with a power-driven shaft, and supports for the said arms and levers, intermediate their ends, which will permit a sliding and tilting movement thereon of the said arm and lever, substantially as set forth.

0. In a feeder, the combination of two actuating-arms, one at or near each end of the feeder, a support intermediate the ends of the arms for the said arms to tilt and slide on, two levers connected at their upper ends with the said arms and having eccentric connection at their lower ends with a power-driven shaft, and a support intermediate'the ends of the said levers for them to slide and tilt on, the bar connecting the said actuating-arms at their front ends, and the ejecting-fingers connected with the said arms, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN XV. VOODBURY.

Witnesses:

J All/[ES H. BLIss, I'IOSEA W. BRIGHAM. 

